Humidifier



Search Boem Jan. 16,- 1940. E, s. CORNELL, JR

HUMIDIFIER Filed Oct. 28, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /a/ ,4 f 4f .,fU. M E

m l s 1 n im M/ m 8 w f e, of /O w Z C 7.- x/\ INVENTOR Ed rd Zzgl, Jr'.

Y Hl RNEY QCdVCn HOm Jan. 1'6, 1940. E. s. CORNELL. JR 2,187,645

HUMIDIFIER Filed Oct. 28'. 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 36 36 lNvENToR Ecl ral 5. orne Jr.

HS ORNEY 183 GHC) u... fla... il iUli Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES oearc'n Hoorn PATENT CFFICE HUMIDIFIER Edward S. Cornell, Jr., Larchmont, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 28, 1937, Serial No. 171,538

3 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to humidifying apparatus and more particularly to an improved humidifying apparatus applicable for the humidication of the atmosphere of a single room or a plurality of rooms.

Characteristics of embodiments of the present invention are singly or plurally as follows: The humidifier assembly embodies components such as the spray element motor and its directly actuated moving parts located as in the basement compartment or like space in a home or in an apartment house, or the like portion of the building usually not traversed by the occupants or their guests, which space may be closed from view, but alfording convenience of connection of the spray element with the domestic water supply; convenient connection of the motor usually electric, fan element and associated driving parts. aording also ready inspection and repair when necessary. The assembly also comprises suitable conduit means leading from the spray element to the respective room or rooms served by the humidier, the assembly, particularly the portion thereof extending to a room being arranged to preclude condensation of the aqueous spray projected by the fan through the conduit.

Amplifying the above stated characteristics, the invention is particularly directed to a humidifier construction embodying a spray element provided with a discharge for unsprayed portions of the water supply to the spray element, combined with means associated with the terminus of the conduit, positively leading liquid aqueous condensation into the conduit, and to the liquid discharge of the spray element thereby preventing the condensation within the room served by the humidiner.

As one form of embodiment of the portion of the conduit extending into the interior of a room and precluding condensation of moisture, the terminus of the conduit, advantageously of artistic conguration, such as rectangular, may be arranged substantially flush with the plaster, plaster board, or like material of the wall of such room, the opening of such terminus being provided with a Wire mesh to present a visual sense of closure but affording discharge therethrough of moisture laden air projected by the fan, such wire mesh lying in or extending for a substantial portion thereof at a re-entrant angle with respect to the plane of the terminus, that is to say, lying in or extending from such plane, whereby condensation eiected by such wire mesh is positively lead away from the terminus of the conduit and into the conduit, and conveyed through the conduit to be discharged as through the discharge of the spray element, thereby precluding condensation within the room of moisture furnished by the humidier.

Further features and objects Will be under- 5 stood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in installed relation to a portion of a building, the latter being 10 shown in cross section.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of Fig. 1 as viewed from the right.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View, on an enlarged scale, on line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on line 6-6 20 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional View on an enlarged scale, on line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

The preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, indicates the same installed in rela- 25 tion to a portion of a building. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, in particular, such installation is shown with relation to the rst floor indicated at the oor line I0. A wall or partition of such first i'loor is indicated at II. I2-I2 indicate support- 30 ing joists for the iioor I0, in this instance the joist I2 being located in the basement, an advantageous location for the assembly of the water-feeding portion of the embodiment of the invention, including a discharge or drain for superuous water, as appears more fully hereinafter.

Suspended from one or more of the joists I2, but preferably by the arrangement I3 as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, is a bracket I4 which supports 40 a prime mover, such as an electric motor I5, to the driving shaft of which is attached a fan I 6. The fan I6 is enclosed within a casing I1, also attached to the bracket I4, and such casing is provided with an opening I8 in the axis of rota- 45 tion of the fan I 6, such opening having a foraminous screen I9, and a balile plate 20. As appears from Fig. 3, the baille plate 20 is mountedf upon a screw-threaded element to afford adjust-f ment of the plate 20 relative to the opening hav-f 50 ing the foraminous screen I9, to thereby adjus the effective quantity of air passing through the foraminous screen I9, and thence into the intake opening of the fan I6 and in turn regulate the effective amount of air projected by the fan I6, 55

lfor any given speed of rotation of its actuating motor, supplied to the humidifying means, re-

ferred to more fully hereinafter. The fan casing I1 has its exit end 2| connected to the lower end of a humidifying element 22. This humidifying element 22 comprises a casing and is attached to the bracket I4 is any suitable manner. The upper end of the humidifier casing 22 is open and is connected by an elbow 23 to a horizontal duct 24, which is connected in turn by a boot 25 to a vertical duct 26. This vertical duct may be of any suitable`length and preferably of such a length to extend to a point slightly above the base-board 21 forming part of the trim of the room of which I0 is the oor. The wall II of the room referred to is provided with a horizontally arranged rectangular hole 28, which forms an opening through which extends the discharge elbow 29, such discharge elbow having its inner lower end connected to the upper end of the duct 26. Preferably, the elbow 23 and horizontal duct 24 are circular in cross section, but in order to provide for a sufficient area of opening of the elbow 29 into the room referred to, I may find it desirable to make such elbow substantially rectangular in cross section. Therefore, for convenience of manufacture as well as installation in a restricted space within the confines of the wall II, as for example where such space is restricted by the studding 30, the duct 26, elbow 29, as well as the boot 25 are substantially rectangular in cross section.

Located within the humidier chamber 22 and spaced apart from the bottom 3I is a spider 32, this spider being secured in position in any suitable manner, advantageously by means of rivets 33. The spider 32 is centrally bored and threaded to receive an internally and externally threaded annular member 34, the external threads cooperating with the internal threads on the spider 32 and the internal threads cooperating to hold a nipple 35 in position. The nipple 35 at its lower end 36 is reduced in diameter and threaded and extends through a perforation in the bottom 3| and is held in fixed position with respect to the bottom by means of the check nut 31.

The nipple 35 is provided with an axial bore 3B therethrough, and the upper or inner end of the nipple is internally threaded to receive the lower threaded end 39 of a spray element or water valve 40. The reduced threaded end 36 is connected by pipe 4I to any suitable source of supply of water or other aqueous material under pressure with an adjustable jet means 42 and by means of which the amount and character of the water spray therefrom may be regulated.

The bottom 3| makes a fluid-tight joint with the lower end of the humidifying chamber 22, and to assist in making such joint, there is a gasket 43 interposed between the lower end of the humidifying chamber 22 and the bottom 3|. Extending through the bottom 3| is a drain pipe 44 leading to any suitable waste.

The exit end of the elbow 29 is flanged, as indicated by the reference numeral 45 and the fiange is provided with an opening of substantially the same size as the opening in the elbow proper. At each end of the ange are lugs or ears 41, perforated to permit screws 48 to be utilized to position and secure the flange on the wall II. The opening of the flange 45 is undercut as illustrated in Fig. 5, to assist in holding within the confines of the flange a sheet metal frame 46.

The sheet metal frame 46 is provided with a substantially rectangular opening 49 of a size commensurate with the desired capacity of the humidifying system, and such opening is normally closed by a foraminous sheet 50 of suitable material, such as a screen, and which presents a visual sense of closure but affords discharge therethrough of moisture laden air projected through the ducts 24 and 26. Such screen 50 is attached to the inner face of the sheet metal frame 46 on its upper end and extends inwardly and downwardly therefrom, thus having a substantial portion thereof lying on a re-entrant angle with respect to the plane of the exposed face of such frame. This results in the lower end or edge of such screen extending from the plane in which lies the top of the sheet metal frame 46, rearwardly and downwardly to a point interiorly of the elbow 29, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The lower edge of the opening 49 is formed of the metal of the frame 46 and is folded to extend inwardly and downwardly, as indicated by the reference numeral and the lower edge of the screen 50 is folded around the exposed edge of the portion 5I and is secured to the under face thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. It will be noted, see Fig. 6, that the portion 5| has cutaway portions 52, 53, etc., which effectually prevent the building up of a quantity of water sufficient to overrun the forward edge of the member 5I. Therefore, any moisture condensing on the screen 50 will flow downwardly and be discharged into the elbow 29 and will find its way back through the system of ducts above referred to into the humidifying chamber 22.

The configuration of the flange 45 and the sheet metal frame 46 is advantageously of artistic design, such for example as clearly shown in Fig. 4 and the front or exposed face thereof may be arranged substantially fiush with the plasterboard or like forming the wall I I of the room in which the same is located. The degree of hurnidivcationofthe room or. rooms byuseo my'i'r'nproved apparatus, as shown in the drawings, may be controlled manually or by he usual humidistat which in turn controls the operation of the driving motor I5,l`}and should it be desired, the flow of water through the spra nt or water valve 40 may be controlled in like manner andlimultaneously with the control of the motor The preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown as a system serving a single room. This showing is for convenience, however, and I may by a proper system of ducts serve a plurality of rooms from a single humidifying unit such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This may advantageously be accomplished by utilizing a multi-outlet manifold and at the upper end of the humidifying chamber 22, the various outlets being connected with ducts similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, for example, and leading to different rooms. @Embodiments of my invention are preferably provided with an electrically operating thermal cut-out, connected electrically in series with the 'electric motor I5, the temperature responsive element of which cut-out is located on the exterior of the house or other structure, whereby under certain exterior temperature conditions, the motor-fan assembly is rendered non-operative. Such cut-out means is the subject of a presently co-pending application, bearing Serial No. 183,437, ling date January 5, 1938, and entitled Thermostat.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be under- LUV- stood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

l. Humidifying apparatus for a room or other space of a building, comprising outlet means communicating with the interior of such space, conduit means terminating at said outlet means, said conduit means including a vertically extending portion, said outlet mear/1 5` including foraminous ,screemmeans re-entrantly inclined to the verti-' cal in a direction toward the interior of said conduit means, said re-entrantly inclined to the vertical foraminous screen means being disposed within the zone of said outlet means substantially immediately adjacent the interior of the room or other space of the building, waternspray uine/ans disposed in the vertically extending portion of said conduit means, said water spray means being disposed below the level of the floor of the room or other space of the building, and means for projecting air through said water spray means, to thereby project air through said conduit means laden with moisture supplied by said water spray means, through said outlet means and into such space, and whereby any condensation of moisture within said conduit means is returned to said water spray means.

2. Humidifying apparatus for a room or other space of a building, comprising outlet means communicating with the interior of such space, conduit means terminating at said outlet means, said outlet means including foraminous screen means re-entrantly inclined to the vertical in a direction toward the interior of said conduit means, said re-entrantly inclined to the vertical foraminous screen means being disposed withoearch Hoom in the zone of said outlet means substantially immediately adjacent the interior of the room or other space of the building, water spray means and means for projecting moisture laden air through said conduit means said water spray means being disposed below the level of the floor of the room or other space of the building, to thereby project air laden with moisture through said outlet means and into such space, and whereby any condensation of moisture at said screen means is returned to said conduit means.

3. Humidifying apparatus for a room or other space of a building, comprising outlet means communicating with the interior of such space, conduit means terminating at said outlet means. said outlet means including foraminous screen means re-entrantly inclined to the vertical in a direction ltoward the exterior of said conduit means, said re-entrantly inclined to the vertical foraminous screen means being disposed within the zone of said outlet means substantially immediately adjacent the interior of the room or other space of the building, said re-entrantly inclined foraminous screen means being disposed at the terminus of said outlet means, Water spray means, said water spray means being disposed below the level of the floor of the room or other space of the building, means for projecting moisture laden air through said conduit means, to thereby project air laden with moisture through said outlet means and into such space, and whereby any condensation of moisture at said screen means is returned to said conduit means, and means for regulating the quantity of air effectim ly projetedbyl saidA moisture laden air projecting means EDWARD S. CORNELL, Jn. 

